One of the first things you notice when you crack open and reach page 11 of Brian Bowen’s new history of the American construction industry is a bright color photo of an Egyptian pyramid, constructed in 2528 B.C., and you wonder how such a far-away, pre-colonial pile of stones could kick off a U.S. construction history book—and a very short one at that. It isn’t until some 70 pages and six fascinating chapters later that we land on the shores of Roanoke, N.C., and Jamestown, Va., in 1585 and 1607, respectively, and the discussion of colonial construction begins.
